Earth compactor feet

ABSTRACT

Tamping feet for an earth compactor comprising a pedestal and tip for each foot and bolts securing the tip to the pedestal with the head ends of the bolts countersunk but exposed for wear when the tip wears to a point approaching the end of its useful life. The nuts of the bolts are behind the outer surface of the pedestals and are positioned to be removed with a burning torch when desirable.

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [72] Inventors Gerald E. Grant Oswego;

Charles R. Jefferson, Pekin; Victor 4 0 0 4 5 5 /4/ l 54 4 0 ..9 9 3 0 3 WI UHHTU mH m "Hum" "n" u .o MAW mm m d wNm sb G nhi o k l put-Ea SCARP O 762 356 5 999 9 NH H 5 6 4 558 6 763 5 020 3 834 6 4 223 r J e m m r k S G m A m m 9n 5 0 9 m m u o 0 0 5ld m n 0B8 awauu RPS JA o. d N m L n d w .fla AFP ll] 25 224 [.ll

[ Assign calerPmm' Tractor Primary Examiner-Jacob L. N ackenoff Peoria, Ill.

Anomey- Fryer, Tjensvold, F eix, Phillips & Lempio s41 EARTH COMPACTOR FEET 3 Claims 4 Drawing Figs. ABSTRACT. Tampmg feet for an earth compactor compns ing a pedestal and tip for each foot and bolts securing the tip to the pedestal with the head ends of the bolts countersunk but exposed for wear when the tip wears to a point approaching the end of its useful life. The nuts of the bolts are behind the outer surface of the pedestals and are positioned to be removed with a burning torch when desirable.

E0lc 19/24 [50] Fieldol'Search".........................

PATENTEU AUG 1 0 49m INVENTORS GERALD E. GRANT CHARLES R. JEFFERSON VICTOR RANDOUR By AUSTIN c SKROMME,JR. f? I y 77 g I o 9% W M) LQ TATTO EYS EARTH COMPACTOR FEET Conventional compactors have wheels with cylindrical steel tread upon the periphery of which are mounted a large number of circumferentially and transversely spaced tamping feet. Much of the material in which compactors work is highly abrasive and the useful life of the tamping devices which penetrate this material is very short. Many conventional compactors employ tamping feet made of a pedestal and a removable tip so that the tips are replaceable after a certain amount of wear has taken place. Various costly and complex securing means have been employed for retaining the tips on the pedestals but none are entirely satisfactory. The present compactor feet are .so designed that the tips may be securely held in place by simple and inexpensive nuts and bolts. Since some compactors have as many as 400 compactor feet, the replacing of tips on these feet is an extremely costly operation and anything which reduces the cost of the tip and its replacement is highly desirable. Compactor feet constructed in accordance with the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawing and described in the following specification wherein the construction and advantages of the invention are set forth in greater detail.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation ofa fragment ofa compactor wheel showing three compactor feet thereon which ar constructed in accordance with present invention;

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged view in side elevation of one of the teeth shown in FIG. I and has a part broken away to expose structural details;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same tooth; and

FIG. 4 is a view in end elevation.

FIG. 1 shows a segment ofa compactor wheel with a rim l2 thereon, three compactor feet are shown each comprising a pedestal l4 and hardened tip 16. The rim of the wheel is quite broad and several rows of tips extend in spaced relation as shown throughout its entire periphery.

The construction of the feet is best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 where the pedestal I4 is illustrated as having an inverted U-shape with a central transverse reinforcing member 18 welded in place between the legs of the U. The pedestal is welded to the rim l2 and the crossmember or web 20 ofthe U- shaped structure provides a surface upon which the hardened extending through the tip and the web 20 of the pedestal and secured as by nuts 24.'The holes through which the bolts extend in the tips are countersunk so that the boltheads are spaced inwardly a considerable distance from the surface of the tip which engages and compacts the earth.

With the construction described above, the bolts which hold the tips in place are protected from very severe abrasive contact with the earth until the hardened tips have worn away to the point where they do not extend beyond the boltheads. At this time, the heads of the bolts also begin to wear and by the time the boltheads have worn away or at least some of them have worn away, the tips will need to be replaced. Since all of the boltheads may not wear at the same time and since some of them may be too mutilated to be received in a suitable wrench, removal of the nuts is facilitated by the U-shaped construction of the pedestal which enables their ready removal with a burning torch. The hardened portions of the feet are relatively small and may be manufactured economically by rolling iron into long pieces having a cross section of the configuration of the tip as it is viewed in FIG. 2. These rolled bars may then be cut into pieces of suitable size, then bored and counterbored, and finally hardened.

What we claim is:

1. An earth compactor foot for use on the periphery of the wheel of an earth-compacting machine comprising a pedestal which is an elongated, open-ended, U-shaped channel having elongated leg portions which extend from one end of said channel to the other end ofsaid channel and having a web portion, said leg portions being fixed to the wheel and said web portion being disposed generally parallel to the periphery of the wheel, and a hard tip secured to said web portion.

2. The compactor foot of claim 1 wherein said hard tip is held in place by bolts having heads countersunk in the tip and extending through the tip and said web portion, and nuts attached to said bolts inside of the pedestal between said leg portions and beneath said web portion and accessible from said open ends of said pedestal.

3. The compactor foot of claim 2 in which the pedestal has a reinforcing member spanning its leg portions midway of its length, and in which one of said nuts is disposed on each side of the reinforcing member. 

1. An earth compactor foot for use on the periphery of the wheel of an earth-compacting machine comprising a pedestal which is an elongated, open-ended, U-shaped channel having elongated leg portions which extend from one end of said channel to the other end of said channel and having a web portion, said leg portions being fixed to the wheel and said web portion being disposed generally parallel to the periphery of the wheel, and a hard tip secured to said web portion.
 2. The compactor foot of claim 1 wherein said hard tip is held in place by bolts having heads countersunk in the tip and extending through the tip and said web portion, and nuts attached to said bolts inside of the pedestal between said leg portions and beneath said web portion and accessible from said open ends of said pedestal.
 3. The compactor foot of claim 2 in which the pedestal has a reinforcing member spanning its leg portions midway of its length, and in which one of said nuts is disposed on each side of the reinforcing member. 